


Pretty Handsome Awkward

by emocezi, Swing Set in December (swing_set13)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, attempts at banter and wit, college drama, college shenanigans, random pop culture references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-09-19
Updated: 2011-09-19
Packaged: 2017-10-23 21:19:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/255070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emocezi/pseuds/emocezi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/swing_set13/pseuds/Swing%20Set%20in%20December
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College is weird. Especially when you're supposedly dating the big man on campus. This was never covered in orientation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretty Handsome Awkward

Stiles is pretty happy for making headway into the problem set for his calc class. He may even have time to swing by the library after all. He leans back into his chair crossing his arms behind him in silent satisfaction.

The door swings open dramatically and Scott teeters into the room without preamble.

"You know what sucks?" says Scott and sacks out onto Stiles' unmade bed. " _Everything_."

"Other than you sharing a dorm with three other dudes?" says Stiles not looking up from his desk.

Scott pouts and rolls over to his side.

"You just had to say it," he mutters darkly. Scott got into Berkeley on a lacrosse scholarship and had to deal with being in athletics housing for the past week.

Apparently their coach believed in early morning wake up calls. Stiles has been gloating about his single dorm room since his dad drove down from Beacon Hills to help him move in.

"It pays to be the smart one in the friendship," grins Stiles.

"Well, good thing. You can help me," says Scott, sitting up from the bed. "I need to get into _Alpha Beta Omega_."

Stiles has a sinking feeling this has everything to do with Allison Argent, the _Zeta Alpha Zeta_ sophomore that helped them during orientation. Stiles snorts in disgust.

"Why would you want to be in something that sounds straight up from a B-horror movie?"

Scott shoots him a hurt look.

"It was my dad's fraternity," he says quietly and he looks impossibly wrecked that Stiles deflates immediately. If Scott wants to pledge to _Alpha Beta Omega_ , and Stiles has to trample down the urge to further mock the very idea, he'll be the supportive friend. Scott deserves that.

"Fine," sighs Stiles. "What's it going to take to get you beaten?"

"Punched," says Scott as he sits up and rolls his eyes.

"Whatever," shrugs Stiles and boots up his laptop. The library can wait for one more night. It can't be that hard to get Scott into a frat.

\---

It seems like Stiles spoke too soon because what it involves is wearing the one good sports coat Stiles owns. Unlike Scott, he forgoes the tie and wears a faded Star Wars t-shirt. He doesn't want to look like a candidate by anyone's standards. Apparently, during Rush Week, would-be pledges have to impress frat brothers. Why anyone would be impressed by Scott's attempt at a Windsor knot is bewildering to Stiles. But, whatever helps. He's a supportive friend.

"So, remember the plan," says Scott, as they are almost crushed by a wave of drunken co-eds. Seems like half the party-goers have decided to impress the residing frat brothers by their blood alcohol level. There were three separate people doing keg stands.

"Yeah, because it's such a great plan," mumbles Stiles as he redirects a wobbly guy to another warm body.

Scott shoots him a glare.

"Fine, fine," sighs Stiles. "If any of those guys in blue t-shirts asks, I will talk you up like the most awesome wingman ever. Except not too much, we don't want to get you laid."

Scott actually looks pained.

"What? I am like the ultimate wingman," says Stiles. "Your pledglihood is in safe hands."

\---

 _Alpha Beta Omega_ is the most crowded house on Greek Row. The party is spilling out almost everywhere when Stiles and Scott make their way to the main door. Everywhere he looks there are guys wearing monkey suits more awkwardly than Scott. One guy is actually in a monkey suit. Stiles applauds the effort.

"Why am I here again?" Stiles glances at his watch and then at the crowd of people on the back lawn of Hale House, more formally known as _Alpha Beta Omega_.

"Because you’re my best friend. And if I came here by myself I'd probably have an asthma attack and die."

"You haven't had an asthma attack in years," Stiles mutters, wondering when he could ditch this party. He'd given up a very rare free evening to attend the _Alpha Beta Omega_ rush party instead of locking himself in his room with his Nintendo 64 like he'd planned.

"That doesn't mean I can't have one," Scott pouts and shoves his hands in his pockets, looking around the lawn for someone wearing an _Alpha Beta Omega_ t-shirt. If he was ever going to stand a chance at getting a date with Allison, he had to get into a frat, preferably this one. _Zeta Alpha Zeta_ only dated Greek.

\---

Stiles nurses a stale beer while Scott does a fair impression of a wallflower when someone claps a rough hand on his shoulder. His beer sloshes onto his hand as he is pulled towards a warm body.

"So, what can you bring to _Alpha Beta Omega_?" asks a guy wearing a bright blue t-shirt with the symbols for Alpha, Beta and Omega centered inside a black wolf paw. He has a camera hanging from his neck and a black sharpie behind his ear. His shirt has over half a dozen phone numbers on it.

"Nothing. Talk to my friend Scott here." Stiles ignores the beer splashing onto his shoes and pulls Scott from the wall. "He's the one that wants to join."

Scott smiles tentatively but the guy ignores him and stares at Stiles curiously.

"You're saying you don't want to be a member of the honourable wolf pack?" he says, incredulously. A couple of wolf howls break out in the room.

Stiles snorts in disgust. "With my course load? You got to be _freakin’_ kidding me."

"You know we could help you with that," the guy says with an impish grin.

"You know how many people flunk Intro to Organic?" Stiles says, waving his arms up in frustration, almost hitting Scott with his cup. "I barely have time to _EAT_ between classes. I don't have time for the idiocy that goes on here."

As if to illustrate his point, another guy runs between him and Scott only in his boxers. The _Alpha Beta Omega_ brother lifts his camera to get the shot but still frowns at Stiles. So it comes as a surprise when he blinds Stiles with the flash before lumbering off to the direction of the kitchen.

"HEY DEREK! HELP! WE FOUND SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T WANT TO JOIN! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HIM!" the guy yells as he turns around sharply heading towards the kitchen and is soon swallowed by the party. Stiles catches his back which has the most ridiculous nickname scrawled on it.

"Scott, was I just blinded by the _Tinman_?"

\---

Stiles ends up leaving Scott chatting up some _Alpha Beta Omega_ brother nicknamed _Puppy_ along with Allison Argent of all people and sidesteps a guy weaving through the small hallway until he ends up outside. It's refreshing to suck in some air that doesn't carry the stale stench of beer and body sweat. It's dark outside, nearly pitch black, save for some haphazard lanterns strung about overhead, random tiki torches strewn about the back lawn and two trash cans are being used as impromptu bonfires. So it's no surprise that he bumps into someone in his attempt to sit on the back garden wall.

He's set to apologize when he squints into the darkness.

"Dude, did you just growl?"

This frat gets more ridiculous by the minute.

"Listen, I just want to sit here and wait for this miserable evening to end," he says to the looming figure beside him. He holds up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

The guy snorts and raises his cup which glints against the fire light to his lips.

"Can't believe I gave up a night of Mario Kart for this," Stiles grumbles, satisfied he won't be bothered sitting here, as the guy next to him ignores him.

"Why anyone would want to join a frat is beyond me," he says, jiggling his knee against the wall, and worries his lip between his teeth. "I can't believe all the idiots out tonight. It's gotta be the full moon next week, brings out all the freak shows."

The guy next to Stiles pauses in lowering his cup. His face is obscured by the night while Stiles is directly under the glowing lantern.

"I'm sorry if that offends you," Stiles backtracks quickly. The guy was prone to growling after all. "But, man, my friend Scott, needs to get in, and he never makes the best impression. But he's a great guy, well, except when he's hung up on a girl."

"And what can you bring to _Alpha Beta Omega_? Do you have a beach house? A generous checkbook? Is your family prestigious and wealthy?" the guy almost snarls. Stiles scoots a little away from him. His voice is a deep pleasant rumble that sends a shiver down Stiles' back despite sounding sarcastic and pissed. A lethal combination.

"Nope, nope and last time I checked, nope. And you'll have to talk to my friend, remember, Scott? Well, if you can find him in this throng of inebriated morons. He's the one who wants to join this thing."

"And you came along for?" the guy hedges, Stiles would guess he was three sheets to the wind but the guy barely smells like cheap beer. The scent of soap, freshly cut grass and burning wood overpower his senses in a pleasant way.

"Moral support. But apparently I've been morally ditched for Allison freakin’ Argent. _AGAIN_."

He just wants this evening to end.

"Argent," the guy beside him assesses the name. "As in-"

"The ZAZ Argents? Yes. That Allison Argent. Scotty is head over heels for her, and she won't even look at him unless he gets into a frat. Tragic really, like Romeo and Juliet. But without all the dying. And a lot more drinking," Stiles muses looking up at the moon.

"So you just decided to come over here and help yourself to our beer?"

"One beer. And it was shitty. I mean, is shitty," says Stiles with a frown holding up his cup still sporting almost half his beer. "As soon as Scott wants to bail, it's back to Tesla House and an essay on the criminal code."

"Tesla - you're a scholarship student?"

"Mmmhmmm. Stiles Stilinski, nice to meet ya." Stiles salutes his drinking companion with his cup and attempts another swig of beer but grimaces, ignoring the way the guy watches him. He'd probably get some sort of bill in his mail box for the beer he'd stolen from a member of the drunken horde trying to get into this place.

"Which scholarship?" the guy asks curiously, his voice pitching to a smoother rumble.

Stiles phone jingles in his pant pocket with the theme from Batman. "Sorry," he says hastily giving a small smile towards the darkness.

The text is from Scott, apparently he's waiting out front for him. Allison apparently ditched him for _Puppy_. Figures.

"Well, good talk."

He pats the guy and despite the inky blackness he can sense his gaze. Stiles flushes, even with the crisp fall air sliding across his face. He leaves the guy to his beer and lurking.

Soon after he leaves, another frat brother stumbles outside.

"Hale to the King!" he howls, his camera swinging like a pendulum between his arms. He gets a long suffering sigh in return which gets him to whoop in delight.

"Are you trying to shirk your responsibilities?" he grins, leveraging himself on the wall taking Stiles' spot. "Because you promised Brock. We need to have some worthy pledges this year, _Alpha_."

"Oz."

"Yes _Milord_?"

"Stop calling me that," he growls.

"Sorry _El Jefe_."

"Stop it, _Tinman_ ," he says.

Oz sighs sadly. "Why all the hate, Hale? Where's the love?"

"I hate rush week," snarls Hale, the president of _Alpha Beta Omega_.

"Yeah - but come on, man. You gotta be less like that grumpy Derek we all have grown to love and more like that douchy preppy Derek and hook us some worthy pledges."

Derek glares at his fellow frat brother.

"I got plenty of would-be hopefuls," Oz continues, waving his camera in triumph. "And a lot of photos for the Wall of Shame. Aw, come on, crack a smile! There must have been one guy that stood out."

There is a silent pause where Oz shifts on the wall and assesses his friend. "You did."

Derek doesn't react.

"Oh, you found someone," cackles Oz, slinging his arm over Derek's shoulder. "Tell Dr. _Tinman_ about it."

"I want you to find Stiles Stilinski," Derek says finally, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

"What do you want to know?"

" _Everything_."

**Author's Note:**

>  **Notes:** It started off with the idea of how epic a college!au would be. And I love AUs. Then I started my epic friendship with Laura. We had vastly different ideas of what a college!au would be. So then, we were like write it individually, with no peeking! So we did and were like, let's team up because I loved her ideas as much as she loved mine. And this has been a glorious couple of days where we have constructed this universe (it's pretty epic in our brains). So we're co-authoring! This all very new to me. And Laura has been great with the hand-holding and general awesomeness. So we bring you college!au. And we hope you enjoy it as much as we love playing around with it. And since Laura is on board, there will be some bend at the knees action later, 'cause you know all I write is cavity inducing and snarky. *high fives* Un'beta'd because we're awesome that way and there is a three hour time difference between us, which has me writing till 3 AM. LET ME SLEEP LAURA!!!! Comments are love. ♥
> 
> Takes place in Berkeley because a) it’s in California b) has a lacrosse team and c) that's about it. Aside from that, everything else is made up. So don’t get your knickers in a twist. Just enjoy the ride. And I don’t know much about frats. They aren’t that big at my university. Like, one burnt down and everyone was like, we had a frat? Club night always has the frats and sororities delegated to a tiny corner while the other two hundred clubs take center stage. So my knowledge is from watching _Greek_ , those flashbacks in _The Social Network_ and college romcoms. Though one of my friends was in a frat and they had some pretty epic parties but that was another university. *le sigh*


End file.
